Vending apparatus



Aug.26, 1941. 4 M, @ALDER HAL 2,253,554

VENDING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 11, 1939 j /Z 5 ATT Oz NEY Aug. 26, 1941. E. M. CALDER EI'AL VENDINBG APPARATUS Filed May 11, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 26, 1941 UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE VENDING APPARATUS Eben M. Calder, Kansas City, and William H. Wltte, Avondale, Mo., asslgnors to General Vendor Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Missouri Application May 11, 1939, Serial No. 273,006

6 Claims.

This invention relates to vending apparatuses, and more particularly to an apparatus for vending packaged goods, for example, soda waters in bottles.

v The principal object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for vending goods which may be controlled by a coin operated mechanism and wherein a single article may be dispensed from the apparatus upon a single actuation of the coin operated mechanism.

ranged to show the condition of the supported commodities and simultaneously prevent acceptance of coins when the commodities have been dissipated.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a vending apparatus having a relatively large capacity for bottled goods; to movably mount the bottled goods in a tank adapted to contain a refrigerant; to maintain the bottled goods in upright condition;- to provide an opening in the tank with which the bottles are aligned individually, whereby other bottles adjacent the opening may not be removed; to so arrange the opening that a plurality of groups of bottles may be respectively aligned therewith for extraction of the bottles individually from the cooler; to adjustably lock the bottle support in the cooler; to provide for successive rotation of the bottle support; and to provide improved parts and arrangements of parts in the construction of an easily operable, relatively economical and highly efficient vending apparatus of the character noted.

storage compartment and the mechanism for rotating the support.

Fig. 3 is a. vertical cross-sectional view through the vending apparatus particularly Illustrating the mounting of the bottle support.

Fig. 4 is a detail bottom perspective view of the bottle support and mounting therefor.

Fig. 5 is a detail fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the vending apparatus, the cooler and coin actuated mechanism housing being shown in vertical section to illustrate the relation thereto of the lock mechanism and mechanism for indicating the condition of bottles in the support.

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical cross-section through a portion of the bottle support illustrating the relation of a bottle to a bottle chamber in the support.

In accomplishing these and other objects of I vending apparatus embodying the features of the present invention and showing the coin actuated mechanism and the discharge or delivery opening from the tank.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vending apparatus,

parts of the cover being broken away to illustrate the relation of the bottle support to the Referring more in detail to the drawings:

I generally designates a vending apparatus embodying the features of the present invention which preferably includes a container or recep-' tacle such as a tank or cooler 2 provided with conventional standards 3, Fig. 3, for supporting the same, the cooler being insulated as at 4 and being provided with an open upper end 5. A flange 6 preferably forming an overlapped edge 'of the outer cooler wall is arranged in the cooler adjacent the open upper end 5 thereof, which flange is preferably extended about the interior of the cooler, as shown in Fig. 3, for a purpose presently described.

A cover 1 is also provided of substantially the same size and shape as the open upper end of i the cooler, which cover is preferably formed of a.

pair of sections 8 and 9 hinged together as at I. The cover is of suitable construction and is preferably provided with insulation ll. As a. matter of practice, the edges of the cover are preferably provided with an integral peripheral flange I2 adapted to seat on a gasket or the like l3 which may be suitably ,flxed to the upper edge of the cooler opening 5 or the lower face of the cover flange I2.

A suitable locking device I4 is provided on the cover in such a manner as to preferably connect the section 8 of the cover with the cooler to prevent unauthorized removal of the cover or contents of the cooler from the cooler.

Mounted on the bottom surface of the cover and preferably on the section 9 thereof is a casting or similar support 15 which comprises an arm I6 extending longitudinally relative to the cover and having an offset lug or the like H at its outer end engageable with the flange 6 on the cooler to secure the cover in position. Oppositeiy disposed arms l8. Fig. 4, also form a part of the casting support I5, the arms I8 being disposed transversely of the cover I and preferably being provided with offset lugs [9 arranged for engagement with retaining devices similar to the flange operating with the hub 20 of the casting'li in rotatably supporting a bottle support or drum 25.

The drum 25 constitutes an important part of the present invention and preferably consists of an aluminum casting, the casting comprising a bottom bottle supporting plate 26 which is preferably perforate for reducing the material and weight of the casting. Vertically arranged partition members 21 are spaced about substantially the outer periphery of the bottom plate 26, the partition members being of substantially T-shape and having the webs 28 thereof directed inwardly, the webs terminating in reinforcing, enlarged portions 29. Brace members 30 which are preferably of substantially V-shape, with the strokes thereof directed outwardly, are preferably arranged vertically on the bottom plate 26 in inwardly spaced concentric relation to the partitions 2! and opposite alternate partitions. Spaced inwardly from the bracing members 30 are partitions 3| preferably similar in shape to, but smaller in size than, the partition members 21, the partition members 3| being arranged in concentric relation to the brace members 30 and partition members 21 respectively and being disposed between alternate brace members 30 and in alignment with alternate partition members 21. r

Also as a matter of practice, the-Outer partition .members 21 are provided with cutouts 32 to reduce the weight and cost of material of'the casting.

In the construction of a casting of this character, it has been found that the ice water and sometimes brine, employed for cooling bottled goods supported by the casting, rapidly attacks plated steel for example, and not only discolors the water normally surrounding the bottled goods, thus making the commodities unattractive to purchasers, but also weakens the bottle supporting structures and tends toward their deteriorationas well as interfering with proper actuation of the vending apparatus generally. By forming the casting of aluminum for example, or some similar non-corrosive, relatively light material, a material advantage is provided due to the strength which the casting provides over an assembled series of parts and due to overcoming the discoloration of cooling medium, as well as the prolongation of the effective life of the bottle support.

The bottom plate 25 of the casting is provided with a centrally apertured hub 33 for passing a portion of the stud 29, that portion of the bottom plate 26 opposite the hub 33 seating on the washer 2t and allowing the casting to rotate on the wa"her. The upper ends of the partitions and brace members 2?, 3i and 36 are inter-con 1 disposed relation thereto for receiving the upper end of the stud 2| to center the casting on the stud, yet allow rotation of the casting on the stud.

The retaining devices 22 and 23 on the stud may be manipulated to draw the casting 25 substantially into engagement with an annular guide member 36 on the hub 20 of the casting l5 for the purpose of preventing wobbling of the casting, yet permitting rotation thereof in response to actuation of mechanism now to be described.

A top plate 34 is preferably provided for the casting 25 which, in the present instance, preferably comprises a Geneva gear wheel 31 on its outer periphery, the wheel 31 being provided with spaced slots 38 and adjacent concaved arcuateiy shaped indentations 39. The indentations 39 are each arranged between a pair of slots 38 and are each disposed in alignment with a chamber 40, 4! or 42, the chambers in turn being formed by and arranged between the concentric series of partitions 21, brace members 30 and partitions 3|. It has been found preferable to provide ten chambers on the inner series, ten chambers on the intermediate series, and twenty chambers on the outer series of partitions and/or brace members to the end that forty chambers are preferably provided in all. Where forty chambers are provided, forty indentations are also provided for the Geneva gear wheel to the end that when the Geneva gear wheel is moved in increments or successively by means of engagement of the Geneva gear wheel with suitable actuating mechanism, the casting 25 is rotated a distance substantially equal to the space between the radial centers of the indentations.

The top plate 31 of the casting 25 is also perforated in a manner corresponding to the chambers 40, 4| and 42 in the interior of the casting, as shown at 43, the diameters of the perforations 43 being suflicient to pass the widest diameters of bottles 44 or the like containing goods to be vended so that the bottled or similarly packaged goods may be applied to and removed from the chambers in the casting.

As a matter of practice, one of the perforations 43 in the top plate 34 of the casting is plugged as at 45 and preferably marked as the starting point for setting the casting in such a manner that it may be subsequently continuously operated to dispense thirty nine bottled or otherwise packaged commodities without danger of losing the initial bottle or the like prior to actual purchase thereof by a coin.

In order to rotate the casting 25 in increments, corresponding to the size of a bottle or the like to be vended, a counterpart of the Geneva gear wheel 31 is provided which preferably constitutes awheel 46 fixed to a vertically upwardly extending shaft 41 and fixed to the-shaft by a fastening device 48. The wheel 46 is provided with an annular groove 49, the inner extremity of which is indented as at 50 to provide 'a series of preferably three recesses and an alternate series of the same number of convexly or arcuately shaped cam members 5i which recesses and cam members bound the inner periphery of the groove Spaced pins 52 are also provided in the wheel 46 substantially midway between each of the cam members 5i and on a circumference approximately defined by a continuation of the circular plane of the cam members.

It is believed apparent that the vertically errturned, the shaft 41 rotates the wheel 46 to effect engagement of one oi! the pins in an adjacent slot 88 for turning thewheelfl until such time as the next succeeding cam member on the wheel 48 engages the next succeeding indentation on the wheel 81 to again lock the casting in position.

The shaft 41, as above indicated, extends up-- wardly and passes through the section 8 of the cooler cover member into a coin actuated mech: anism housing 58 suitably secured to the upper surface of the cover member. The housing '53 contains substantially conventional mechanism which may be operated by insertion of a coin in the plunger device 54 for rotating the shaft 41 in increments upon application 01 a separate coin for each movement of the shaft.

In order to effect delivery of bottles or the like from the chambers in the casting individually and without exposing the other bottles to' delivery upon payment of but a single coil, a delivery opening 55 is provided in the cooler cover which is elongated and preferably extends in a transverse direction relative to the cooler.

ed in the housing 58, A spring 88 normally urges an ear 88 on the arm 85 into engagement with The delivery opening is bounded by a reinforced aperture 56 in one oi. the transverse arms '18, Fig. 4, oi? the casting l5 which secures the bottle supporting casting in position in the cooler, and is of a length substantially equal to a plurality of bottles contained in the cooler and, as in the present instance, the length of the opening is equal to the sum of the largest diameter of a total of three bottles.

The opening 55 is finished in construction by a plate 51 suitably secured to the cover and an auxiliary cover member 58 is preferably mounted on the plate 51 which is of a size adapting it for covering the delivery opening. The auxiliary cover is suitably pivotally mounted on the plate 55, and has a spring 59 normally holding the auxiliary cover 58 in closing relation to the delivery opening 55.

With the construction thus far described, it is apparent that the casting 25 being filled with bottles or the like to be dispensed and the casting being moved in increments by the cooperating Geneva gear wheels incidental. to coin controlled actuation of the plunger device, the casting is rotated to individually present a single bottle below the delivery opening for dispensing one bottle upon application of a single coin to the plunger and coin controlled mechanism.

It is further desirable to indicate when the casting has been relieved of all the bottles holding commodities to be vended, and to this end, a boss 50, Fig. 5, is provided on the upper surface of the top plate 3! of the casting 25 at a point on the plate spaced from the starting point 45 a suflicient distance to prevent actuation of the vending apparatus when the last full bottle or the like of vendible commodity has been dispensed.

The boss 60 moves under a roller 6| mounted at one end of a--lever 62 which is pivoted as at 83 .on a supporting plate 64, the plate 64 interconnecting the arm n of the boss IS with the shaft 41 to additionally support the shaft. The inner end of the lever- 82 is pivotally connected to brace members. A

casting accommodates thirty-nine bottles and a control arm 65 which extends upwardly through one end of a lever 10 which ispivoted to the plate 61, the other end of the lever 10 being engageable with an indicating device II which is hinged to the plate '81 as at 12, the indicating device underlying a window opening 13 when urged to such position by the lever Ill.

The inner end 14 oi! the lever 10 is preferably weighted in such'a manner as to move the indicating device II into the position illustrated in Fig. 5 when permitted to do so by lowering of the arm upon raising the outer end of the lever 52 when the roller 6! rides over the boss 68 on the gear wheel 31 01 the casting 25. As the inner end of the lever 18 is lowered under force of gravity aided by the spring 88, it is arranged to drop into the path of the inner end 15 01' the plunger device 54, thus preventing actuation of the plunger device and avoiding acceptance of a coin when the casting has been relieved of commodities to be vended.

The operation of an apparatus constructed as described is as follows:

Assuming a cooler constructed substantially as shown in Fig. 3 to be provided with a cooling medium such'as ice water, brine or the like, and assuming the section 8 of the cover I to be hinged outwardly relative to the casting 25, bottled or like goods 44 may be applied to the chambers between the concentric series of partitions and In the present instance, the

has an empty chamber covered by the starting plug 45. The casting being rotatably mounted on the cover section 9, the cover may be moved bodily to any desired location and applied to the cooler 2 or any' other similar cooler having an open upper end of approximately the size of the cover member. The cover is applied to the cooler in such a manner that the lug H on the casting ,l5 engages below the inwardly extending end of the securing flange 6 on the cooler to secure the cover in position. v I 8 Where securing flanges are provided 'on the side walls of the cooler, the lugs [9 on the arms 18 also engage therewith to add r gidity .of the mounting of the casting in the cooler. The cover section 8 of the cover may then be turned downwardly into engagement with the upper edge of the cooler and locked in position in the usual manner.

The casting having been initially set to place the starting plug 45 below the delivery opening 55, the vending apparatus is prepared to receive a coin which may be applied to the plunger device 54, which device, when actuated, turns the goods, may be extracted from the chamber underlying the opening. Because of the arrange-' ment of the concentric series of chambers, it is apparent that only one bottle may be extracted at a time upon application of a single coin to the coin controlled mechanism and that a-separate coin is required for each actuation of the vending apparatus and extraction of vendible goods therefrom.

When the casting 25 has been given a substantially complete rotation, all the vendible commodities will have been dispensed from the apparatus and the boss 60 moves into engagement with the roller on the lever 62 to effect lowering of the arm 65. As the arm 65 is lowered, the weighted end 69 of the lever drops and the other end of the lever 10 moves the indicating device II to a position below the window opening 13, thus indicating that the casting has been emptied of bottles or the like. At the same time, the weighted end of the lever 10 moves into the path of the plunger device 54 and prevents actuation of the plunger device to the end that coins will not be accepted when no commodities can be vended.

The cover, including the casting, may then be removed and a substitute refilled cover and easting supplied therefor, or the section 8 of the cover may merely be folded back and a fresh supply of bottled or like goods applied to the chambers of the casting so that the operation just described may be continued.

It is believed apparent, therefore, that a vending apparatus has been provided which is easily applied to or removed from a cooler; which accommodates a maximum of commodities; which efiiciently dispenses such commodities; and which is strong, yet light, and not subject to rapid deterioration.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a cover member having an opening, a casting rotatably mounted on the cover member for supporting bottled goods including a bottom plate member, an annular series of spaced partition members on said plate membenan annular series of brace members concentric-ally arranged relative to said partition members, and an annular series of partition members concentrically arranged relative to said brace members and firstnamed partition members, said partitions and brace members forming chambers therebetween respectively alignable with said opening for dispensing bottled goods from the chambers through the opening.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a cover member having an opening, a casting rotatably mounted on the cover member for supporting bottled goods including top and bottom plate members, an annular series of partition members spaced between and connecting said plate members, an annular series of brace members concentrically arranged relative to said partition members, and an annular series of partition members concentrically arranged relative to said brace members and first-named partition members, said partition and brace members forming chambers therebetween, said top plate member having perforations overlying said chambers, said chambers and perforations being respectively alignable with said opening for dispensing bottled goods from the chambers through the opening,

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a casing having a flange on the interior thereof,

,a cover removably mounted on the casing having an opening therein, a casting mounted on the bottom face of said cover having an arm provided with a flange engageable with said casing flange to secure the cover to the cooler, and a support rotatably mounted on said casting arranged to seat bottles.

- 4. In an apparatus of the character described, a casing having a flange on the interior thereof, a cover removably mounted on the casing having an opening therein, a casting mounted on the bottom face of said cover having an arm provided with a flange engageable with said casing flange to secure the cover to the casing, a bottle support rotatably mounted on said casting, and means on the cover engageable with the support for moving bottles supported thereby "into individual alignment with the opening in the cover. a

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a casing, a cover removably mounted on the casing having an opening therein, a support rotatably mounted on the cover having chambers for containing goods to be vended, means for moving said support to position a chamber below the opening in the cover, a boss on said support, a lever on said cover adapted to be actuated by said boss, and means controlled by said lever for locking said support moving means.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a casing, a cover on the casing having an opening, a rust resisting casting rotatably mounted on said cover for supporting goods comprising a plate member, a series of spaced upright members arranged about said plate member and forming chambers therebetween, and means for rotating the casting in increments relative t5 said cover opening EBEN M. CALDER. VMEAM H. WITIE. 

